The Washington critic., 1887-12-20
ooLoREp PEOPLES PROTEST.
They Continue Their Warfare against tho
"Mnry Hall BuilLlng.n


They Continue Their Warfare Against the
"Mary Hall building"
Every colored minister and many rop-
resentative mon of the colored people
were present last night at Ebenezer
Hall to protest against the action of the
Commissioners in referring their petit
tion to rent the Miller building for
school purposes to the school trustees,
who have no power to act, and more
particularly to protest against the renting
of the Mary Hall building, at Four-and-
a-half street and Maryland avenue, for
colored children.
Edward S Atkinson occupied the
chair, with J. B. Baltimore as secretary.
A committee on resolutions was ap-
pointed as follows: Rev. ]. II. Brooks,
Rev. w. II. Draper, Rev. w. j. How
ard, Rev. Walter Brooks and Mr.. Daniel
Webster. ft
The committee reported a preamble
and resolutions, accompanied by. two
petitions, ono addressed tothe President
and the other TO tho Commissioners.
Both were adopted.
As law-abiding citizeps they respect
Iuhp .pvbioHvu tnc ooHiiuisSiuhcio "
faithfully execute the Constitution and
a"d a%S , obey. 'SH The ol%tiens 70 provided rpHps
the President praying him to favorably
indorse their petition to the Commits
sioners and representing ito him that
they were Disseminated against.
Ex-Trustee johnson called attention
IN tho pppaggity af rpltaf from rrpGqItra
for the Banneker and John i. Cook
Schools, where 800 children of the
fourth grade get only half day schooling;
while elsewhere those of the same
grade get full time. "Anothcr thing"
he said, ''tho five schools provided for
white children were oil finished on
time while the two our colored children
were allowed TO drag along, and one of
them is not completed now. The law
giving proportionate shares Of school
funds to the colored schools Is violated
every day, and the Commissioners now
heap insult to injury by trying to send
our children into disreputable neigh
borhood.
A strong argument against the Use of
the Mary Hall building for school pur-
poses for either white or cOlored children
was made by Rev Walter Brooks. Said
he, "The spirit of the law forbids it. A
brothel is more dangerous than saloon.
Women whose feet are carrying them
down to hell are in almost complete
possession Of the houses around the
Mary Hall building. Do the Commits
sioners wish TO bear the responsibility
of bringing our children to the doors Of
the brothel?" Other speakers followed
until late hour. Further action will
be taken to call public attention To the
unpopular action of the Commissioners.
WHAT THE COMMISSIONERS SAY.
The Commissioners stated to CRIrIc
reporter to-day that the whole question
of occupancy of the Mary Hall building
was left to the board of school trustees,
and they decided that it is a proper
place for an institution of this kind.
Mr.. Webb stated that it is TO bemsed
only for cooking and manual training
proper, and the kitchen is one Of the best
that can be found anywhere. The base
ment where the manual training is to be
taught has an asphalt floor and is also
well adapted, and the women interested
in it have promised to build an addition
to the building
luc ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS feCeiNtu lettcI
from L. A. Cornish, one of the colored
school trustees, to-day in which he
states that he was authorized by the
School Board to select building to re-
lieve the crowded condition of the
schools and he finds that the Miller
building, on ii street, between Sixth
and Seventh streets, is theonly suitable
one he can find. .s ~ ~ o..
MIR. JoHSsoS'ss 'sssrATRMRNp,D DENIED.
The statement at the meeting last
night by Trustee johnson to the effect
that the erection Of the cGlored school
buildings this year were delayed, and
that in this respect the colored schools
were Disseminated against is denied by
the Commissioners and the Building In
spector. These gentlemon state that
the Giddings lone of the eolored schools
was the second one out of seven schools
that was finished. The delay on the
Sumner was caused solely by the con
tractor.